Goodbye friends and hello changes

We have had a change in our lives and cruising plans, our daughter passed away leaving behind her husband and two small children ages 2 1/2 and 8 months. With that happening we have decided to sell our boat, and our home in Florida and move to the Seattle area to help her husband raise them. It has been a wonderful life cruising the East coast and the Bahamas but this is something we must do. We will miss all of the wonderful friends we have met while cruising, and all of our friends in the Abacos, our favorite cruising grounds. So a new chapter in our lives opens and new adventures begin.

Sail On
Mike and Chris
SV Missinglink


P.S.
Who knows, there may be another Missinglink in the future. You never know

Lake Worth to Green Turtle.

We left the Lake Worth Inlet on Thursday afternoon on the way to Great Sale Cay with two other boats, Lee Ann and Madeline. We had a good crossing, about 4 ft swells with a 12 second period on our stern quarter. It wasn't a great crossing, but it wasn't bad either. We arrived about 3 AM and dropped the anchor for about 4 hours of sleep.

  The next morning after a quick breakfast and a top up of our fuel from the jerrycans we keep on the deck we raised the anchor and started off for Spanish Cay. On the way there Chris baked a cake for the skipper of Madeline as it was his birthday and we wanted to celebrate his birthday and his first trip to the Bahamas. We arrived there around 4 in the afternoon, tied up at the dock and checked in at the marina and then went to bed to catch up on sleep. When we awoke the next morning refreshed we checked in with Immigration and customs and took a short walk around the island. When we got back we found out that Michael on Madeline was refused entry into the country. He did not have a passport, but he had called customs two weeks earlier and had been told that if he had a valid ID and birth certificate there would be no problem. While we had been traveling apparently the Bahamas changed that policy 2 days previously and he now had to return to the U.S. They did let him stay at the marina to prep his boat for the return trip, but it was sad to say goodbye to him. We did have a great dinner that night and were able to celebrate his birthday in the Bahamas. The next afternoon we saw a fisherman catching lobsters on the break wall around the marina so we hailed him and made a deal for 15 lobsters. That night the new managers of Spanish Cay cooked them up and we had a lobster feast with them and the other boats, of course since I am allergic to shellfish I had grouper.
  This morning we set sail for the short 20 mile sail to Green Turtle cay with Lee Ann, where we now are. We took a dock at the Bluff House where they are having a dockage special where you spend two days and get the third free. Also the rate is only 90 cents a foot, so it is a good deal. We spent the afternoon catching up with old friends and meeting new ones at the new beach bar that the marina recently opened, great fun.
  In a couple of days we hope to start out for Marsh Harbour Marina and Jibroom, that's all for now.

Finally on the move.

We left Titusville this morning with two other boats and are finally on the way South and over to the Bahamas. Presently we are in Melbourne FL and plan to stop at Ft Pierce tomorrow, and then on to Lake Worth where we will wait for a good forecast to cross the Gulf Stream and enter the Bahamas banks. We plan to anchor at Great Sale Cay to rest up , and then on to Spanish Cay where we will check in with customs and immigration.

We presently at Westland marina preparing for our trip to the Abacos in The Bahamas. We have finished prepping the boat and are ready to start down the ICW to Palm Beach where we will cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahama banks and on to Abaco. We made many repairs to the boat over the last year and are ready to start out. Our first stop will be Melbourne, then Ft Pierce, and the final stop on the ICW will be Old Port Cove in North Palm Beach.

Barefoot Man 2013

We left Marsh Harbour marina this afternoon and are now at Orchid Bay Marina on Great Guana Cay. This afternoon was the early concert, and tomorrow will be the evening show. We had a great time this afternoon with most of the boats from Marsh Harbour Marina and others from all over Abaco. There was a big crowd and we had perfect weather, blue sky, not too hot, and the ocean was perfect.

Junior Junkanoo

We left walking for the Junior Junkanoo about 6 pm as that was when it was scheduled to start and it never has started on time all the times we have attended. We arrived at 6:30 and the first school started around 8 pm.There were around 10 groups and the kids really put on a good show with a lot of drumming and fancy footwork. After we watched the last group pass us we started to walk back to the Marina, but we were able to hail a cab and able to ride back to the Marina in style (except for Gary on the floor in the back). Tomorrow will be a clean up the boat  and laundry day.

Great Guanna Cay

We had a good forecast so we took off for Great Guana Cay on Wednesday morning and had a great couple of days over there. We ended up staying at Orchid Bay Marina as they had a dockage special of $.50 per ft per night. By that evening we had  4 other boats from the Jibroom and we all had fun exploring, beach combing and people watching at Nippers Beach Bar. We went to the Wednesday night potluck at Grabbers Bar where there was quite a variety of foods to sample. On Thursday night we all decided to have our own happy hour on the Gazebo of the Orchid Bay docks and it was fun until the mosquitoes came out and had their own happy hour. the next morning we decided to head back to Marsh Harbour so that we could attend the Junior Junkanoo Friday night.

Jibroom !!

We left Lake Worth on Monday after Superbowl Sunday at Old Port Cove Marina in North Lake Worth. We left The Palm Beach Inlet around 16:30 in the afternoon and arrived at the little Bahama Banks just South of Memory Rock about 01:00 in the morning and continued on to Great Sale Cay, arriving there around 11:00 Tuesday. The Gulf Stream crossing was a good one, one to two foot waves with a 3 foot swell. Once we got on the banks the waves picked up to three footers for a few hours but it quickly calmed down and we had a nice ride to Great Sale.  After a good rest at anchor we continued on to Spanish Cay on Wednesday arriving there about 15:00 and checked in with Customs. We were disappointed with Spanish Cay Marina this year as they did not open the bar and restaurant after hurricane sandy last year, although it was was nice catching up with friends there. Thursday was raining so we decided just spend one more night there and wait till Friday to leave. On Friday morning around 08:30 we left Spanish Cay and set sail for Marsh Harbour. As we left for the first hour the winds were right on the nose so we motor sailed into the wind until we were able to make the turn to the Southwest and catch the wind. We were able to keep around 6.5 Knots of speed all the way through the Whale Cay passage and on to Marsh Harbour arriving about 14:30 in the afternoon. With the WSW wind and no North Swell in the Atlantic the Whale Cay passage was just a one foot chop, great passage. As we arrived at The Jibroom ( www.jibroom.com ) we were met with a dock full of our friends and the marina staff, it is great to be among all of our friends again. We are now checking the calendar to see what is going on in the Abacos and where we will go next.

MOVING AT LAST!

Friday we finally left Westland Marina in Titusville. It was a cool but easy motor ride to Melbourne and we were once again in the company of dancing dolphins.The wind arrived just as we stopped at a favorite anchoring spot and depth here was shallow.The area also stank terrible of dead fish odor thanks to a million cormorants so on to Melbourne Harbor marina.It was early enough to walk the quaint downtown area filled with antique shops,gift shops and restaurants.We took the beautiful waterfront trail back to the marina but were confronted by a drug deal going down and homeless people everywhere.
Dinner was a surprise.A gourmet meal at a good price at the marina bar Ichabods. We watched a beautiful sunset while I dined on fresh flounder stuffed with crab-meat and risotto.So happy to be on the trail again after a summer of refitting the boat.We left Melbourne in the AM and after another easy motorsail down the ICW we pulled into Harbortown Marina to top off the diesel tanks an pick up a few items from Publix.

Our Summer refit included;
Replaced all gate valves with Marlon sea cocks
Rerouted exhaust to above water replaced hot water heater,before the original rusty unit leaked
Replaced weak floor area in front of galley sink
Tore out 1984 plaid carpet from walls and inside cupboards,added insulation there and plastic covering
Installed ham radio equipment
Changed several engine hoses,belts,water pump and exhaust mixing elbow
Replaced some cushions with high grade foam and had all covered with turquoise sunbrella
Mounted the chart holder that our friends made for us,it became a great place to display the grandchildren`s pictures
Refinished the floors
Bottom paint was refinished by the yard
Made sun covers for the diesel and water cans
Replaced the main power wires to the instrument panel, it failed just as we were to be launched but only a day delay thanks to help from our friend Glenn. On to Lake Worth and Old Port Cove where we will wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream.

Getting ready to head for the Bahamas 2013.

After a month in Seattle to visit with our kids and see our new Grandson "Max" we are back in Florida at Westland Marina in Titusville and in the process of provisioning the boat for the next few months in the Bahamas. The boat has been launched and all of the repairs I have made over the Summer are working fine. We hope to start moving South to Lake Worth by this weekend where we will stage waiting a good weather window to cross the Gulf Stream to the Bahama banks. Once we are back on the boat full time we will be updating the blog more often.

Boat Repairs

We are in the middle of multiple boat repairs and maintenance on the Missing Link. On the list to do is replace all seacocks and hoses leading to them, replace the water heater and hoses, replace the raw water pump, replace engine hoses and belts, change two hanging lockers to shelf storage, replace galley floor, and install a new marine radio.The most important repair is the replacement of the seacocks as the boat manufacturer had installed brass gate valves as seacocks, this was fine as long the boat was in fresh water but now that we are in salt water they needed to be replaced. This was demonstrated to me when I removed the head intake seacock, the gate was completely corroded away! You could turn the handle all you wanted to but you could not close it. The replacements I chose are the Forespar Marlon Seacocks as they are nonmetallic we should nor have any problems with corrosion.

Huricane season preparations

We are now back in Florida and have the boat hauled and strapped down for hurricane season. We decided not to head North for the Summer and had the boat hauled at Westland Marina in Titusville as I have a lot of work I want to do in the boat, such as replace all the seacocks, repair the exhaust mixing elbow, change hanging lockers into shelf storage, replace the remaining rug that was on inner hull inside storage areas, and install a new marine radio. We are also recovering the cushions in the salon area. We do have a place to stay in Lake Wales Fl about 1 1/2 hrs away and I can stay on the boat while working on it if need be. The dry storage areas here all have water and electric right at the stern of the boat so it is convenient for working, cleaning, and rigging the boat.

Crossing Back to the US.

 We left Marsh Harbour Marina with Michael on Casey Dee Thursday May 3 at 9AM and Sailed all the way to Great Sale Cay. We were going to stop at Spanish Cay, but Chris Parker our Weather adviser said that Sunday afternoon might have squalls so we pressed on. After a quiet night at Great Sale we left at 8 AM and got to White Sand Ridge on the Little Bahama Banks and started looking for the charted 10 to 15 ft water but could find only 24 ft at the shallowest. On the way to White Sand Ridge I did catch and release a small Barracuda.

  We anchored around 9 PM  and planned to sleep there until 4 in the morning and then leave for fort Pierce. Chris was having trouble getting to sleep as it was a little roll and it was a good thing as around 11pm Chris heard water running and when she looked in the floor grate forward of the engine water was running in the boat. When she woke me I opened the engine hatch and saw that the intake hose from the thru hull had come off of the raw water pump. After closing the thru hull valve and cutting off an inch of the hose and reattaching it to the pump we went back to bed. As a side note if you have a 2GMF Yanmar engine the hose fitting on the intake side of the raw water pump does not have any barbs on it, it is smooth and not very long. That will be fixed!! At around 4am we raised anchor and started on our way for Fort Pierce. We were able to Sail for about 20 miles and then the wind began to drop and the waves dropped from about 1 ft to dead calm.

  That lasted until about 15 miles out where the wind picked back up and we were able to raise the sails again. We got to Harbortown Marina around 4:30, tied up had drinks and a meal at the marina restaurant

Good bye to friends.

After a Winter in the Abacos and flying home a couple of times we sadly say good bye to all of our friends at the Jib Room and Marsh Harbour Marina. One of the boats, Blue Caribbean with Sean and Norman left a day earlier than we did. They left for Ireland via Bermuda and the Azores, a trip of over 3400 miles on a Cape Dory 30. We had a wonderful time there and plan to stop there again next year.

Waiting

We flew to Florida for 2 1/2 weeks and had a great time with family but the fast pace back home was overwhelming.We watched tv and had constant reports of crime and traffic accidents and wondered why we should return back home.The Bahamians are so relaxed and accepting of us,we got a hug when one of the workers returned from her vacation,so nice.I had a talk with a few Bahamians this week while relaxing in the outdoor Orchid Lounge here and asked what they feel is the reason for low crime and friendly atmosphere here in the Abacos.They feel that it goes back to loving mothers who have very high expectations of their children,they do not want to shame their mother and also were raised with the church an important part of their youth.
I will have a hard time leaving for hurricane season.Another reason is continued persistent wind,we missed a weather window to cross over while we were flying back and will wait again for possibly several weeks for another.
We meet so many interesting cruisers here and only a rare pompous fool. Last month we had a singlehander next to us who would keep the hatches closed and only surface very briefly for a hose down on the bow once a week,he had a ponytail atop of his head like a samurai.He grunted unintelligible greeting once in the several weeks being here next to us.So glad that he has left.
On the positive side we met a young doctor from Ireland and his wife just getting started in sailing.He is readying his Cape dory 31 for the sail back to Ireland having brought it here single handed from U.S.A.
It was a sad day when his wife flew home,it was nice to have a lively young lady here. I will worry with her as her husband and his friend navigate to Bermuda and to the Azores and then to Ireland.The mother in me today tried to talk him into leaving the boat here as a second home,can`t help but try to adopt these young cruisers.
We purchased a SSB radio in Fla. but will wait to install it this summer as we would have to pay duty to bring it here now.We get our weather via computer for our passage back to Fla.

Season of the Wind

  Sitting here yet in Marsh Harbor at The Marsh Harbor Marina,they make it hard to leave with great rates, entertainment and good old family feeling here. Last night the wind blew over 50 knot gusts for a few hours with lots of lightening and rain,of course Mike slept like a baby until I went on deck and found I couldn`t adjust the lines and we were banging the dock a bit. He woke up briefly and adjusted the lines and no damage. This winter was full of persistant winds of 20-25 knots with cold fronts more frequently than usual bringing strong gusts but no cold weather.
  We had strong wind on the nose going to Guana Cay for the Barefoot Man concert but finally a beautiful sail with no motor for the return trip here.The concert was really fun,we went two nights and had a blast. The Jib Room owners brought their boat too and they put on a yummy fish fry at the dock at Orchid Bay. They do so much for the cruisers here.
 We haven't done as much this winter but are always busy. I love to cook on board and grab new recipes off the internet to try, no spam and ramen noodle soup here. There is always boat maintainence including chasing rust off the deck from the salt water spray and watching for sun damage. Mike had to sew the dodger in places as well as the sacrificial sunbrella edge on the jib. The Sailrite sewing machine was worth the space it takes up. If bored we dingy or walk into town and sometimes pass the heat of the day playing Mexican Train Dominoes with other cruisers. Mike often shoots the breeze at the bar and since we switched this year to a cash only policy has drank more diet cola than rum, poor boy.
  I really miss my family this year so we decided to fly to Florida for my little sister`s wedding next month.We have learned that you can`t count on a good weather window and a deadline means trouble so we will bring the boat back across the Gulf Stream either May or June, we hope to catch some good sailing before then.

Guana Cay, Abaco

We finally loosened the lines and sailed to Guana Cay Yesterday AM. This weekend is the Barefoot Man concert at Nippers Beach Bar here on Guana and we have a group of boaters from Marsh Harbor Marina who are going to get together here on Guana Cay for the weekend and have a great time. We will rent golf carts and explore the Island and do some bar hoping. It usualy gets croweded here when the Barefoot Man plays so we wanted to be here early and be able to get a prime spot to enjoy the concert. We left yesterday before everyone else because the weather was forcasted to have squalls today and tommorow AM. We are now at Orchid Bay Marina and will be here until Sunday and from there who knows.

Sad Day

My Mom passed yesterday after a short fight with cancer, She was at home with my Sister Lu at her side and did not suffer.  Per her wishes we will not be having a funeral or services, please remember her in your own way and celebrate her life. We always had a great time as a family and I know we will all miss her.

More Cruising Gear

Still tethered to the dock here in Marsh Harbor anticipating another trip by Mike to the U.S.A. as his mother`s health deteriorates.I have been thinking of more items that make our boat life easier.
1. a sailrite sewing machine that we used to ensure a full cockpit enclosure which protects my redheaded husband from too much sun and acts as a protected porch area adding space to our small boat.Mike has used the machine to restitch stress areas on our canvas and several sails from people who had rough crossings.
2. Spot  allows us to update position of the boat for our concerned family and has a panic button to give G.P.S. position to authorities in an emergency
3. St. Brendan`s Isle is our mail forwarding service,they scan our mail and we can print,delete or save mail and they will forward a package anywhere
4. Solar garden lights, we have several on the deck to allow safe night climbing on and off the boat.We use cheap ones from Harbor Freight and Home depot rather than pricy marine versions
5. Divers Alert Network,includes a policy for medical advice and medivac transfer if needed for a small yearly fee.The safety updates and beautiful diving magazine alone are worth the price
6. Step stool that folds,being short it allows me to get off the dock with all the tide changes as well as reach down into the bottom of the refrig
7. Lightweight clothing,we have switched to mostly very thin fabrics as laundry everywhere is 4 dollars to wash and 4 dollars to dry,I am too lazy to bucket wash all clothes,we really only need one pair of long pants and the light weight fleece jacket for cold fronts early in the season so most cold weather clothes were off loaded last summer
8. Travasack bedding,this is a sleeping bag concept with the sheets top and bottom that velcro in,have had ours 4 years with one extra set of sheets to rotate and love it,makes bed making a breeze.We also bought hypervent fabric as bottom layer to help wth condensation as well as Froli system that works as an innerspring followed by boat cushions topped with 6 inches of memory foam,we bought a king size memory foam topper from Walmart and cut it to size allowing doubling in the vberth
9. Sodastream machine, have had ours 5 years and love it,we make diet cola,root beer,cran raspberry sodas and never have to haul cans or bottles or dispose of the trash
10. A.T.M. card,the best local restaurants have cash only,Marsh Harbor has atms for Royal Bank of Canada and Scotia Bank that are safe and reliable.You also need cash for entry fee into the Bahamas

Cruising gear.

I have been asked a few questions about what gear we use on our boat, so I an posting a list of the gear we use. Just remember I probably like too many creature comforts and our list is not all "must have" equipment. We are not roughing it !  We spent a few years preparing for cruising, getting the boat ready, going to cruising seminars at the Annapolis boat show and West Marine, reading a lot of other cruisers blogs, and cruising forums on the Internet.

1.  Adequate battery bank           We have 3 group 27 batteries for the house bank  and one group 24 deep cycle for starting with a automatic charging relay between them.

2.  Solar Panel                           Ours is a 130 watt Kyocera panel with a Blue sky MPPT solar controller. I would like 1 more panel!

3.  Wind Generator.                   We have the Air Breeze wind generator. it does have as high of an output as the AIR-X but it starts charging in lower wind speeds and is self regulating.

4. Anchor windlass.                     We have a Lewmar PF 700 as that is what would fit on our boat. It is so nice to push a button to raise the anchor.

5. washdown pump.                     As you raise the anchor and Muddy rode it is indispensable to clean them for storage before your anchor locker is full of mud.

6.  Good anchor and backup.       I have a Manson Supreme with 200' of chain and 200' of 3 strand for my main anchor and a Lewmar Delta with 25'of chain and 250' of three strand for a backup. ( I have never had it all out but I sleep well )

7. Dock Lines                             At least 6 long dock lines and a couple of spring lines if your are taking a dock as you will be tying to pilings and not side tied to a floating dock.

8. Dinghy !!                                 Your dinghy will be your taxi and main transportation while cruising. A hard bottom dinghy is preferable as it tracks better, won't abrade through when you drag it ashore on beaches and coral. You also need an outboard large enough to move it along.

9.  External WIFI antenna.         We have a ALFA WIFI USB antenna ( $40. ) that will pick up a signal in most anchorages. There is some free WIFI , but you may have to pay to log on. Some marinas have free WIFI but not all.

10.  Engel Freezer                     It is nice to have Ice, freeze extra fish, lobster and frozen meat.

11.  Watermaker.                      We have a Spectra 150  It is not a necessity but it makes our life much easier for us, we do not have to carry extra water on deck, haul water when anchored out, and skimp on showers.

12. Pressure cooker.                 Helps to reduce fuel usage while cooking and tenderizes tougher cuts of meat.

13.  Extra containers for fuel and water on deck with a way to lash them down.

14. Racor 500 fuel filter with plenty of spares and biocide for suspect fuel.

15.  Oil change pump, plenty of spare oil and filters.

16.  Honda 2000 Generator.     Great to have so you don't have to run the engine at anchor when wind and sun don't keep up with the demand .  Also will run water heater for hot showers and small appliances.

A fellow Cruiser Tom on Dreamcatcher has some great tips and a good gear list and links. Here is a link to his blog;
 http://www.theconchhorn.com/DreamCatcher/